Ugly scenes in Sofia
Nobody expected such an extraordinary turn of events. It all began several days before Bulgaria’s Euro 2020 qualifier in Sofia, when England raised concerns after what had happened in Montenegro back in March, when their black players had been racially abused during a game in Podgorica.
Some England players said they were ready to ignore UEFA’s “three steps” protocol and abandon the match in the event of racist chants in Sofia. The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) president
Borislav Mihaylov sent letters to the FA and UEFA, declaring it “offensive” that Bulgarian fans had been branded as racists ahead of the game
When the match in, Bebek told England boss Gareth Southgate there was no reason to abandon the match.
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